Ear protector attachment in combination with a safety cap



Aug. 3, 1965 J. N. SIMPSON ETAL 3,197,785

EAR PROTECTOR ATTACHMENT IN COMBINATION WITH A SAFETY CAP Filed May 18, 1964 INVENTORS JACK N. SIMPSON and WILLIAM R.BOHNER heir ATT RNEY United States Patent 3,197,785 EAR PROTECTOR ATTACHMENT IN COMBINA- TION WITH A SAFETY CAP Jack N. Simpson and William R. Bohner, Reading, Pa.,

assignors to The Electric Storage Battery Company,

Philadelphia, Pa.

Filed May 18, 1964, Ser. No. 368,047 3 Claims. (Cl. 23)

This invention relates to suspensions for safety hats and caps for mounting noise-suppressing ear cups or muffs such as used in noisy industrial operations, airfields, etc. where disturbing noise of high intensity occur.

In the past, considerable difiiculty has been involved in the wearing of both safety caps (or hats) and ear protecting devices. The two have generally been separately mounted on the head of the weareror very complicated schemes have been devised in making hats or caps of special construction so as to have pockets therein for the reception of noise-suppressing ear cups, which has necessitated the purchase of these special hats or caps in addition to those generally worn for safety protection.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of prior art devices by providing a readily detachable suspension for noise-suppressing ear cups, which suspension may be easily and quickly attached to and detached from safety hats and caps of standard construction and by means of a single bolt extending therethrough.

A further object of the invention is to provide a suspension for noise-suppressing ear cups or head sets which provides lateral adjustability and adjustability in height so as to fit the heads of different wearers, and wherein such adjustability may be easily and quickly made.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a suspension for noise-suppressing cups which may be attached onto the outer surface of a headgear, instead of the inner surface as sometimes done, thereby avoiding the necessity of enlarging the size of the hat or capalso making it possible to make the suspension very simple and inexpensive.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent from a study of the following description taken with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side or elevational view showing a safety cap having a noise-suppressing, cup suspension embodying the principles of the present invention, but wherein only one cup and suspension is shown, it being understood that a duplicate assembly is mounted on the opposite side of the cap;

FIG. 2 is a front, elevational view of the suspension shown in FIG. 1; and,

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the suspension wherein the portion in dotted outline illustrates how the suspension is adjustable vertically for raising the position of the noise-suppressing cup.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, numeral 1 denotes a safety cap of any suitable construction, but which, instead, could be a safety hat or other protective headgear. On the cap 1 there is attached a suspension denoted generally by numeral 2 and comprising a yoke or stirrup 3 whose ends provide a trunnion or pivotal mounting for noise-suppressing ear 3,197,785 Patented Aug. 3, 1965 cup 4 fitted with fluid containing flexible cushions 4a along the mouth portion which provide a close fit against the ear-surrounding portions of the wearer. Cups 4 may be of metal, plastic or other suitable material, and are truncated at the top, instead of being completely oval shape as usual, in order to provide clearance with respect to the bottom brim of the cap.

Suspension 2 is mounted on the outside of the cap or hat 1 by means of a bolt 5 extending therethrough, which provides a pivot for a pair of parallel links 7 and 9 separated by a spacer 18 and having end portions which are held together by bolts 10 and 12. Link 11 has one end provided with a hole through which bolt 12 extends to provide a pivot and so as to form a crank arm with links 7 and 9, that is, so that links 9 and 11 may pivot in the manner shown in dotted outline in FIG. 3 and thus raise the pivotal connection 13 between link 11 and stirrup 3. Stop pins 14 are provided on yoke 3 adjacent pivot 13 to limit the amount of pivotal movement of links 9 and 11 in both directions from the position shown in full lines in FIG. 3.

In operation, therefore, when it is desired to raise the position of the noise-suppressing cups 4, links 9 and 1; are pivoted from the full line to the dotted line position, or to any intermediate position, up to the limit set by stop pin 14 at the left as viewed in FIG. 3. Of course, the cups can be so raised in view of the truncated to portions thereof. Yoke 3 may also be pivoted slightly about pivot 13. Of course, the cups are also pivotal about the trunnions at the ends of yoke 3. Thus the cups are substantially universally adjustable with considerable ease, so as to assure comfort in wear as well as a tight seal between ear cushions 4a and the wearers head to insure that noise will be effectively attenuated or suppressed.

By removal of a single bolt 5, the cap is restored to its original condition and may be worn along as a safety cap.

Thus it will be seen that we have provided an efl'icient detachable suspension that may be selectively attached to safety caps or hats of standard construction by a single bolt and which provides adjustability in various directions, including height, to assure a tight fit between the cups and wearers head; furthermore, we have provided a suspension that is external of the cap or hat, therefore avoiding the necessity of enlarging the size thereof for the wearing of noise-suppressing cups-also We have provided a suspension which is relatively simple and inexpensive, yet which is very simple to adjust.

While we have illustrated and described a single specific embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that this is by way of illustration only, and that various changes and modifications may be made within the contemplation of our invention and within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In combination with a safety headgear, a pair of suspensions pivotally connected to opposite sides of the outer surface thereof, each suspension comprising a pair of links having ends pivotally connected together, both of said pair of links being pivotally movable to adjust the angle therebetween, a yoke pivotally connected to the bottom of said pair of links, and a noise-suppressing ear cup pivotally connected to said yoke, whereby said cup may be adjustably moved laterally or raised vertically by changing the angle between said pair of links.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said cups are oval shaped but truncated at the top to form a flat top surface to provide clearance with the brim of said headgear.

3.The combination recited in claim 1 wherein a pair of stop pins are provided on said yoke adjacent its pivotal connection to said yair of links to limit pivotal movement of the yoke relative to said pair of links.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Lippincott 2--185 Knight 2-185 Loewe 2-185 Hornickel et al. 2-209 Rehman et a1. 2-6

1O JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A SAFETY HEAD GEAR, A PAIR OF SUSPENSIONS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE OUTER SURFACE THEREOF, EACH SUSPENSION COMPRISING A PAIR OF LINKS HAVING ENDS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TOGETHER, BOTH OF SAID PAIR OF LINKS BEING PIVOTALLY MOVABLE TO ADJUST THE ANGLE THEREBETWEEN, A YOKE PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID PAIR OF LINKS, AND A NOISE-SUPPRESSING EAR CUP PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID YOKE, WHEREBY SAID CUP MAY BE ADJUSTABLY MOVED LATERALLY OR RAISED VERTICALLY BY CHANGING THE ANGLE BETWEEN SAID PAIR OF LINKS. 